Back at the ward, No neck IV, no leg IV nothing in the mouth. Just the brain drain and the wee-wee tube.
After 3 days the tip of my tongue was numb and with all the tubes in my mouth my vocals was such that I can't speak at a low volume. It only kicked in after a certain volume. I was allowed to eat but only 'soft' foods like jelly, fruits, things that is easily digestible. The nurse said that this is because after the long absence of eating I might vomit. OK. I see what looks like candy with my relative and I ask the wife for a pinch of it just to sweeten the mouth. Then my brother in law S comes across and say he can't eat that, relatively loud. Wonder how many heard it. "HE should eat soft food like jelly, I'll go see downstairs" he says. Ok go I thought jelly is better than nothing. So he goes and comes back with what, nuts and candy! I'm thinking you loudly say no solids so everyone can hear and what did you bring back? Man please let me out of this damn bed so I can get it myself. But the lumbar drain's bag and the urine bag was more than I want to carry around.
Each day I get 4 lollies from the nurses, straight into the IV line. 2 big needles and 2 small. The small is usually painless but the 2 big ones represent a lot more volume into the veins. What I didn't know was that each IV line has a limited life. 3 days is standard but with the 2 big needles wear the veins out faster so 2 days is the best life you get out of 1 IV. The IV on my right hand was 4 days old. On the third day it was already hell on the 4th it was unbearable. The pain was like having someone cut your veins with a knife and your whole forearm was also aching like you wouldn't believe. I couldn't take it I just said I wanted oral tablets and that's it. By this time my lollies had been switched to oral but was told that the antibiotic still had to be injected.Woohoo relief at last, I thought the antibiotic was the small needle but when the nurse came for the injection it was the big one. Let me die... god get me outta here! She didn't even manage to put much in.
I then tried to get my hands on a doctor to change the antibiotic to oral. Alas the doctor said the top 5 antibiotics were only available as injectibles. I said that it hurt like you wouldn't believe. He then tried to flush the line ie inject water or something and I said that yep it hurts bad. Then he said that its time for another line. Damn I hate that thing but it would hurt much less than the traumatised vein that I have now.
Next morning around 6:30 am the nurse came with my lolly. I said let's give it a go on the new line, it should be ok. And it was, just felt the coolness of the liquid pour in, as room temperature was colder than body temperature. Thank almighty god.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
departures are delayed
I guess I stayed another night. The feeder tube which was in my mouth magically got swallowed. So more staring and sleeping. Man the boredom is agony, sleep time.
The nurse say that if I can swallow I can get the tube removed. I took my time but then I think the sooner I do this the sooner I can go. So I say ok give it to me. She gave me a straw but my lips were so dry I couldn't suck anything and my tongue was dry preventing me from wetting my lips. Eventually I managed to get a bit in, allowing me to wet my lips. After that I managed to swallow more, it was sweet, milo she says. Didn't taste like milo but who cares. She says good.
She says first you have to swallow some water and then milk. Ok better than nothing. Up to this point I had nothing to eat since thursday night's mandatory fast. But through the tube. So I won't taste anything it'll just appear in the gut. I'm lactose intolerant and I'm thinking this will finally cause me to poo in those diapers down there. God please no. I ask if the milk is lactose free. She says yes then say soya. Good. So in it went. The tube felt cold so it must be going in. It felt like the tube was just at th end of the throat abd might gall out. Tried to keep it in so I don't get a mouthfull of pumped milk. I forgot that I should also burp. This caused some gas to get stuck. Man it was gastric agony. But they have another magic injection for that too. Man These people in ICU are injection crazy, once you have an IV line they sure make use of it. So I can swallow and my reward was the removal of the tube. Will this be real freedom? She says just relax and let the tube make its way out. OK. She then pulls it out. It was long! Sure didn't have to worry about it falling out.
An ENT doctor was there this morning and she came over and said I had a nasal plug and had to get it removed on Tuesday. She showed me this plastic popsickle thing, saying this was pressing against the wound to stop the bleeding. I thought I had a hole in the bridge of my nose and the string was protruding. Man the plastic was big and I thought it had to go through this hole because there was a bandage there, Man its gotta hurt. Will they cut to reopen the hole? I'm thinking why can't they just give me surgey and then let me out. Why these extra things. Now this thing is giving me nightmares.
Later in the day they must've gotten sick of me and sent me back to the ward. At last freedom. I thought since there was no doctor I would still be in ICU but I was going back. What a relief because this represented a bit more degrees of freedom. My advice to anyone who can choose the operation date, NEVER have an operation on friday. Doctors don't work on weekends although they are on call. So they can't check up on you unless they come in for the sake of it. And this weekend was a long weekend! 3 days no doctor. However on Monday Mr Cheang did come in to check up on me. That was good.
The nurse say that if I can swallow I can get the tube removed. I took my time but then I think the sooner I do this the sooner I can go. So I say ok give it to me. She gave me a straw but my lips were so dry I couldn't suck anything and my tongue was dry preventing me from wetting my lips. Eventually I managed to get a bit in, allowing me to wet my lips. After that I managed to swallow more, it was sweet, milo she says. Didn't taste like milo but who cares. She says good.
She says first you have to swallow some water and then milk. Ok better than nothing. Up to this point I had nothing to eat since thursday night's mandatory fast. But through the tube. So I won't taste anything it'll just appear in the gut. I'm lactose intolerant and I'm thinking this will finally cause me to poo in those diapers down there. God please no. I ask if the milk is lactose free. She says yes then say soya. Good. So in it went. The tube felt cold so it must be going in. It felt like the tube was just at th end of the throat abd might gall out. Tried to keep it in so I don't get a mouthfull of pumped milk. I forgot that I should also burp. This caused some gas to get stuck. Man it was gastric agony. But they have another magic injection for that too. Man These people in ICU are injection crazy, once you have an IV line they sure make use of it. So I can swallow and my reward was the removal of the tube. Will this be real freedom? She says just relax and let the tube make its way out. OK. She then pulls it out. It was long! Sure didn't have to worry about it falling out.
An ENT doctor was there this morning and she came over and said I had a nasal plug and had to get it removed on Tuesday. She showed me this plastic popsickle thing, saying this was pressing against the wound to stop the bleeding. I thought I had a hole in the bridge of my nose and the string was protruding. Man the plastic was big and I thought it had to go through this hole because there was a bandage there, Man its gotta hurt. Will they cut to reopen the hole? I'm thinking why can't they just give me surgey and then let me out. Why these extra things. Now this thing is giving me nightmares.
Later in the day they must've gotten sick of me and sent me back to the ward. At last freedom. I thought since there was no doctor I would still be in ICU but I was going back. What a relief because this represented a bit more degrees of freedom. My advice to anyone who can choose the operation date, NEVER have an operation on friday. Doctors don't work on weekends although they are on call. So they can't check up on you unless they come in for the sake of it. And this weekend was a long weekend! 3 days no doctor. However on Monday Mr Cheang did come in to check up on me. That was good.
please take me back to the ward
I am still in ICU and with this tube in my mouth. My tongue has been dry for ages.
All I do is stare at the ceiling and sleep. There is nothing. Should've bought a dilbert book.
I'm thinking when will I ever get back to the ward. I can't remember if I stayed another night (Monday) or I was to go back today (Sunday).
I remember getting the neck cleaning treatment. I can hear them do this from one patient to another all day long, initially I thought it was a massage but that would be too good. Now it was my turn again and my lip was still getting caught. I try to make hand signals but I was not getting through. She was more concerned about her sterile hands "don't touch the hands it's sterile". But at last I get the pen and paper and show what I was trying to say. Finally they understand and agreed to check my lip before lifting. I was relieved for our next encounter. But it was not be because I was to have the tube removed.
I hear someone say I get the tube removed today. I was ecstatic. It was time. They remove the connector to the machine. Woohoo. Then the nurse say don't fight it. Hey I aint gonna do that, I want it gone so I can speak, complain. When she pulled it out you can't help but fight, it was like vomitting and choking. But who cares keep going damn it. It was a long sucker. At last I was free! but as soon as one tube got removed she throws this other tube like throwing a fishing line over the side of a boat! What the ... I just got my freedom and this other thing comes in. I point to the tube and the nurse say no no no it aint gonna go yet. Huh? I ask what it was she says a feeder tube. My tongue is gonna be dry for a bit longer. Man I can't believe this.
My back was getting itchy. Itchy as hell but there was bandaging there. The nurse noticed and asked if it itches. I said sure do. The she says I have magic liquid for that and proceeded to inject me with it. Still itched though but later not so much.
All I do is stare at the ceiling and sleep. There is nothing. Should've bought a dilbert book.
I'm thinking when will I ever get back to the ward. I can't remember if I stayed another night (Monday) or I was to go back today (Sunday).
I remember getting the neck cleaning treatment. I can hear them do this from one patient to another all day long, initially I thought it was a massage but that would be too good. Now it was my turn again and my lip was still getting caught. I try to make hand signals but I was not getting through. She was more concerned about her sterile hands "don't touch the hands it's sterile". But at last I get the pen and paper and show what I was trying to say. Finally they understand and agreed to check my lip before lifting. I was relieved for our next encounter. But it was not be because I was to have the tube removed.
I hear someone say I get the tube removed today. I was ecstatic. It was time. They remove the connector to the machine. Woohoo. Then the nurse say don't fight it. Hey I aint gonna do that, I want it gone so I can speak, complain. When she pulled it out you can't help but fight, it was like vomitting and choking. But who cares keep going damn it. It was a long sucker. At last I was free! but as soon as one tube got removed she throws this other tube like throwing a fishing line over the side of a boat! What the ... I just got my freedom and this other thing comes in. I point to the tube and the nurse say no no no it aint gonna go yet. Huh? I ask what it was she says a feeder tube. My tongue is gonna be dry for a bit longer. Man I can't believe this.
My back was getting itchy. Itchy as hell but there was bandaging there. The nurse noticed and asked if it itches. I said sure do. The she says I have magic liquid for that and proceeded to inject me with it. Still itched though but later not so much.
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